THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is bad news for KC Venugopal baiters in the Congress. The party general secretary in charge of organisation is all set to be elevated to the key post of the political secretary to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Sources say senior leader Ramesh Chennithala is likely to be included in the Congress Working Committee (CWC). That means hopefuls like Shashi Tharoor, K Muraleedharan and Kodikunnil Suresh will have to wait.
Senior Congress leader and MP T N Prathapan told TNIE that Venugopal is the most eligible among the current crop of leaders to occupy the crucial seat of the political secretary. Manish Tiwari who was earlier associated with the G-23 is another name doing the rounds. But Venugopal is slated to emerge as the winner, he said.
“Venugopal’s vast experience and close association with all state units work in his favour. His proximity to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as well as his rapport with the youth and senior leaders will prove crucial,” said Prathapan.
The meteoric rise of Venugopal in the Congress has not gone down well with the leaders from the northern states. Currently, he is a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. He became a ‘punching bag’ after the severe drubbing the party received in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur assembly elections. The G-23 leaders had also targeted him.
Venugopal still enjoy full confidence and the backing of the three Gandhis — Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka, a senior Congress leader told TNIE. He is set to emerge as the all-powerful leader and occupy the office once held by Ahmed Patel, against the wishes of his detractors, he said.
The Congress leadership had roped in an external agency to conduct a survey among the CWC hopefuls and a majority of them had not favoured Venugopal. A party source told TNIE that Rahul Gandhi had apparently passed the buck to Kharge on Venugopal’s future placement, and the latter decided in favour of elevating him to the powerful office.
Chennithala, who is heading the screening committee to select the candidates in Gujarat assembly elections, is slated to get a berth in the CWC. Ever since he stepped down from the role of the Congress Legislative Party leader in 2021, Chennithala was not holding any organisational posts. He had extensively campaigned for Kharge during the party presidential polls. Veteran leader A K Antony has expressed his desire to retire from active politics. Senior leader Oommen Chandy is not keeping good health, and is most likely to step down from the CWC.